MOBO Awards 2021: who are winners, when is it on TV, which channel is it on, and what does MOBO stand for?

This year’s MOBO awards got underway on Sunday, 5 December, in a night which celebrated black artists from across the UK, Africa and Caribbean among others.

MOBO stands for Music of Black Origin, the awards have been running for 25 years and celebrate genres such as Hip Hop, Grime, RnB, Soul, Reggae, Jazz, Gospel, and African music talent.

The 2021 ceremony was hosted by Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock and comedian Munya Chawawa.

So, who were the winners and when can you watch the ceremony on TV? This is what you need to know.

The full list of winners:

Album of the year - Dave We’re All Alone In This Together

Best male act - Ghetts

Best female act - Little Simz

Best newcomer - Central Cee

Song of the year - Tion Wayne and Russ Millions featuring Arrdee, Bugzy Malone, Buni, Darkoo, E1, Fivio Foreign and ZT - Body

Video of the year - Lagga - M1llionz

Best grime act - Skepta

Best R&B/soul act - Cleo Sol

Best hip hop act - D Block Europe

Best drill act - Central Cee

Best international act - WizKid

Best performance in a TV show/film - Micheal Ward as Franklyn in Small Axe

Best media personality - Chunkz and Yung Filly

Best gospel act - Guvna B

Best African act - Wizkid

Best reggae act - Shenseea

Best jazz act - Sons Of Kemet

Best producer - JAE5

What is ‘Drill’ music?

The most recent genre to be recognised was ‘drill’ which has been controversially linked to promoting youth violence and crime.

In 2018, music producers and artist Big Narstie refuted claims it had been partially responsible for a rise in knife violence, while the Met ordered YouTube to remove at least 30 drill videos from its platform, claiming they incited gang violence.

MOBO founder and CEO Kanya King told Sky News that the new category was ‘important’ as an acknowledgement of a ‘driver of progress’.

"What’s important is for the MOBOs to be a driver of progress and to really celebrate the music that young people are into.  Drill is a dominant genre, and we wanted to be able to celebrate the artistry,” he said.

When are MOBOs shown on TV?

The awards were streamed live on YouTube from 8pm on Sunday 5 December and the highlights will be shown on Wednesday 8 December from 10.35pm on BBC One.